Page 37 of 3 Daddies to Go

“It’s a nonprofit that operates all over Georgia. They set up these programs in towns with a lot of low-income families. It’s like summer camp, kind of, but it goes year-round. We feed the kids and give them activities to do so they’re not at home alone. Our goal is to keep the kids happy and worry-free while easing some of the parents’ stress.”

“That sounds amazing. So you want to work there for a while, then?”

Kendall smiles.

“I’m an unpaid volunteer right now, but I’m okay with that. What I want to do is start my own company that would help ease the burden the parents are facing.”

I urge her to go on.

“So, at the Boone Sunshine Program, I’ve noticed that most kids have parents who own their own small businesses, but they’re struggling with small business loans. My company would offer relief to these businesses, depending on the needs of the family. So like, if they’re really struggling and about to go under, then it wouldn’t even be a loan, it would be a gift.” She looks up, her cheeks red. “It’s complicated. I know it’ll never happen because I don’t have the capital to do something like that. I’m not sure it would even work, since it would never make money. But it would be, like, a non-profit type thing. I don’t know. It’s stupid …”

I squeeze her hand again.

“It’s not stupid,” I assure her.

The taxi rolls to a stop before the mansion. Before we can say more, Kendall pays the driver and climbs out of the car.

We follow, but if she thinks this conversation is over, she’s mistaken. We don’t let go of things that easily.

Especially not when we can help.

15

Tanner

Kendall gestures towards the mansion. “This is Covington Manor” she says. “It was built before the Civil War. It’s been restored a few times since then, obviously, but a lot of the structure is still standing.”

“Sounds like you could give the tour yourself,” I say. “You really are our tour guide.”

She blushes. “That’s the only fact I know, and I only know it because it’s on the plaque behind you.”

We turn around and laugh.

“I have done the tour before when I was a kid. My mom is actually from Boone, and she brought me around to visit my grandparents before they died. I remember loving it here. There’s a lot of priceless artwork inside, and the architecture is really cool. It’s probably nothing compared to what you guys have seen, but –“

“It sounds great, Kendall. We may visit a lot of places, but we rarely get to see them. I’ve been to Paris ten times, and I’ve never seen the Eiffel Tower.”

Kendall gasps. “Seriously?”

“We’re usually in meetings. The last time I was in Paris, I flew in, met with a potential investor, and flew right back home.”

“That’s so sad,” she says, her hand over her heart. “Promise me that next time you go to Paris, you’ll visit the Tower. For me?”

I promise out loud, but in my head I’m thinking,I could just bring you with me. Then you can see it for yourself.

Kendall turns, leading the way towards the front entrance. The guys and I stay back far enough that we can chat without her hearing.

“Are we just going to pretend she didn’t say all that stuff in the taxi?”

“Of course not,” Tag says. “We can’t just let it drop. Not when we could do something about it.”

I shake my head. “We can’t do anything about it right now. It’s too soon.”

They agree. “But we’ll do something eventually, right? It would be so easy.”

Trace is right, it would be easy. The three of us are billionaires. We could set Kendall up with her dream organization. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and a firm idea of what she wants to do. All she needs is investors, and we could do that. We give money to nonprofits all the time. Why not start our own, with someone incredible like Kendall to spearhead the whole thing?

It’s too soon, I think. That’s the problem. We don’t want to scare her off, not right now. Throwing millions of dollars at her and saying “go, live your dream,” would send her running for the hills. I doubt she would take the offer anyway.